Jerome Drayton, a Canadian Olympian and marathon runner, died unexpectedly last week at age 80.
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Cardinal Funeral Homes confirmed the news of Drayton’s death following knee surgery.
Born Peter Buniak in Germany in 1945, Drayton immigrated to Toronto with his mother in 1956 and changed his name. He began running in high school and quickly showed promise — ultimately getting recruited to the Toronto Olympic Club.
Drayton won the Fukuoka Marathon in 1969, 1975, and 1976, as well as the Boston Marathon in 1977.
He was unfortunately sick with a cold during the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and finished a disappointing sixth. And Drayton’s hopes for redemption were thwarted four years later when Canada joined the boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
Still, Drayton was regarded as one of the best distance runners in Canadian history. His men’s national record time in the marathon of 2:10:09 — set at the 1975 Fukuoka Marathon — stood for 43 years until it was broken by Cam Levins in October 2018.
“It should have been gone about 30 to 40 years ago,” Drayton told CBC Sports at the time. “To me, it wasn’t that fast. It wasn’t a world record. I think the record in those days was 2:08-something.”
“He seems to know what he’s doing, in terms of nutrition and training for the marathon,” he said of Levins, praising the runner. However, Drayton added with a laugh, “It would have been nice if he missed it for another year or so.”
Jerome Drayton Held the Canadian Men’s National Marathon Record for 43 Years
American runner and four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rogers, who frequently was atop the marathon rankings alongside Drayton, spoke with Runner’s World about the legacy of his friend and rival.
“I always liked and admired Jerome for his great determination, his professionalism, and his pride at representing Canada,” Rodgers told the publication, noting that the pair recently spoke on Draytton’s 80th birthday just last month.
“We talked about the day we dueled at the Spring Bank Road Race in London, Ontario, a race we both loved,” he shared. “Canada has lost a terrific citizen.”